Wire Harness Assembly System

ABSTRACT

A wire harness assembly system is disclosed. The wire harness assembly system includes a grid tile designed to receive repositionable accessories to route wires along the grid tile. The grid tile includes a plurality of keyed holes extending from the top of the grid tile, through the grid tile, to the bottom of the grid tile. The grid tile also includes a locking surface on the bottom of the grid tile. The locking surface complements the plurality of keyed holes to receive the repositionable accessory and to maintain the repositionable accessory in a locked position.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/884,240, filed Oct. 15, 2015, which will issue as U.S. Pat. No.10,256,011 on Apr. 9, 2019, which claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 62/158,880 filed May 8, 2015, entitled “WireHarness Assembly System” and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser.No. 62/073,665 filed Oct. 31, 2014, entitled “Wire Harness AssemblySystem”, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a wire harness assembly system, andmore particularly to a wire harness assembly system with keyed lockingmounts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is common practice to provide a panel board to mount a plurality ofwire mounts or other accessories to route wires. Typically the panelboard includes a plurality of circular holes designed to receive themounts. A paper cover is often positioned over the panel board. Thepaper cover has markings as to where the mounts and wires should belocated. Mounts or accessories are installed over the paper on the panelboard. The wires are routed through the mounts between their desiredtermination points. After the wires are installed, the wires aretypically bundled together to form a wire harness assembly. The wireharness assembly is then shipped to the customer.

There is a need for an improved wire harness assembly process that isflexible and easy to assemble for faster routing of wires. There is alsoa need for an improved wire harness assembly system with mounts that areeasily installed and secured to the wire harness tiles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a wire harness assembly system. Thewire harness assembly system includes at least one grid tile. The gridtile includes a top, a bottom, and sides. The grid tile also includes aplurality of keyed holes that extend from the top, through the gridtile, to the bottom of the grid tile. The plurality of keyed holesreceive repositionable accessories that route wires along the grid tile.The grid tile also includes a locking surface on the bottom of the gridtile. The locking surface complements the plurality of keyed holes toreceive and maintain the repositionable accessories in a lockedposition.

The wire harness assembly system also includes a locking mountpositioned in the keyed holes in the grid tile. The locking mountincludes a main body with an upper portion, a base flange, and a lowerportion. The lower portion includes a locating shaft with keyed memberspositioned opposite each other. Once installed in the grid tile, thelocking mount is rotated to a locked position in the grid tile. Thelocking mount receives various wire routing accessories designed toroute wires along the grid tile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the wire harness assembly system withkeyed locking mounts installed on a wire harness tile.

FIG. 2A is a top perspective view of one of the keyed locking mountsinstalled on the wire harness tile of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2B is a top perspective view of one of the keyed locking mountsinstalled on the wire harness tile of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the fixture mounting blockinstalled on one of the keyed locking mounts on the wire harness tile ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a partial exploded view of the wire harness assembly system ofFIG. 1 with a keyed locking mount positioned to be installed.

FIG. 5A is a top perspective view of the wire harness assembly system ofFIG. 4 with the keyed locking mount inserted therein.

FIG. 5B is a bottom perspective view of the wire harness assembly systemand keyed locking mount of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6A is a top perspective view of the wire harness assembly system ofFIG. 5A with the keyed locking mount partially rotated towards a lockposition.

FIG. 6B is a bottom perspective view of the wire harness assembly systemand keyed locking mount of FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7A is a top perspective view of the wire harness assembly system ofFIG. 5A with the keyed locking mount rotated to a locked position.

FIG. 7B is a bottom perspective view of the wire harness assembly systemand keyed locking mount of FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a nail and mounting block positioned tobe installed in the keyed locking mounts secured to the wire harnesstile of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the wire harness tile of FIG. 8 with the nailand mounting block installed in the keyed locking mounts.

FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of a keyed locking mount positioned tobe installed on the wire harness tile of FIG. 1 covered with a laminatedharness layout sheet.

FIG. 11 is a top perspective view of an alternative wire harnessassembly system with keyed locking mounts installed on a wire harnesstile.

FIG. 12 is a top perspective view of the fixture mounting block andkeyed locking mount of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a top exploded view of the fixture mounting block and keyedlocking mount of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view of the fixture mounting block andkeyed locking mount of FIG.12.

FIG. 15 is a bottom exploded view of the fixture mounting block andkeyed locking mount of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a top exploded perspective view of an alternative fixturemounting block and keyed locking mount.

FIG. 17 is a bottom exploded perspective view of the alternative fixturemounting block and keyed locking mount of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a top exploded perspective view of an alternative fixturemounting block and keyed locking mount.

FIG. 19 is a bottom exploded perspective view of the alternative fixturemounting block and keyed locking mount of FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a top perspective view of a harness board nail holderassembly mounted to the keyed locking mount of FIG. 11.

FIG. 21 is an exploded view of the harness board nail holder assembly ofFIG. 20.

FIG. 22 is a bottom perspective view of the harness board nail holderassembly of FIG. 20.

FIG. 23 is a bottom exploded view of the harness board nail holderassembly of FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a top perspective view of a multiple nail holder assemblymounted to the keyed locking mount of FIG. 11.

FIG. 25 is an exploded view of the multiple nail holder assembly of FIG.24.

FIG. 26 is a bottom perspective view of the multiple nail holderassembly of FIG. 24.

FIG. 27 is a bottom exploded view of the multiple nail holder assemblyof FIG. 26.

FIG. 28 is a partially exploded view of the wire harness assembly ofFIG. 11 with the keyed locking mount and fixture mounting blockpositioned to be installed.

FIG. 29 is a bottom perspective view of the wire harness assembly ofFIG. 11.

FIG. 30 is a sectional view of the keying features of the keyed lockingmount of FIG. 29 in a locked position.

FIG. 31 is a partially exploded view of a tile of the wire harnessassembly and an alternative keyed locking mount with the fixturemounting block positioned to be installed in the wire harness tile.

FIG. 32 is a perspective view of the wire harness assembly of FIG. 31with the keyed locking mount inserted in the tile.

FIG. 33 is perspective view of the wire harness assembly of FIG. 31 withthe keyed locking mount rotated to be partially installed in the tile.

FIG. 34 is perspective view of the wire harness assembly of FIG. 31 withthe keyed locking mount rotated to be fully installed in the tile.

FIG. 35 is a top perspective view of a tile of the wire harness assemblypositioned to be secured to a grid tile connector.

FIG. 36 is a top perspective view of the tile and grid tile connector ofFIG. 35 with a section of the tile removed.

FIG. 37 is a bottom perspective view of the grid tile connector and wireharness tile of FIG. 35.

FIG. 38 is a perspective view of a plurality of tiles of the wireharness assembly joined by an alternative grid tile connector.

FIG. 39 is a top perspective view of a tile of the wire harness assemblypositioned to be secured to an alternative grid tile connector.

FIG. 40 is a top perspective view of the tile and grid tile connector ofFIG. 39 with a section of the tile removed.

FIG. 41 is a bottom perspective view of the grid tile connector and wireharness tile of FIG. 39.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a wire harness assembly system 50 with keyed lockingmounts or mounting pegs 110 installed on a wire harness grid tile 60.The wire harness assembly system 50 includes wire harness grid tiles 60that interlock to generate an array of grid tiles. Each wire harnessgrid tile 60 includes a top 62, a bottom 64 and sides 66. The top 62includes holes 68 for receiving fasteners 170 to secure the grid tile 60to a board (not illustrated). The sides 66 include a tongue 90 andgroove 92 formation located along the perimeter of the grid tile 60. Thetongues 90 and grooves 92 of adjacent grid tiles 60 align andinterconnect to form an array of grid tiles.

A plurality of keyed holes 70 extend through the wire harness grid tile60. The keyed holes 70 include a center circular portion 72 and two siderectangular portions 74. As described below, the keyed holes 70 aredesigned to receive the keyed locking mounts 110 to form the wireharness assembly system. The rounded hole pattern on the wire harnessgrid tile 60 may be covered with paper or a laminated sheet 180 (seeFIG. 10). The paper or laminated sheet 180 may include markingsillustrating a desired wire harness assembly layout.

As discussed below with respect to FIGS. 5B, 6B, and 7B, the bottom 64of the wire harness grid tile 60 includes a plurality of V-shapedgrooves 80 and a plurality of ramps 82 to secure the keyed lockingmounts 110.

A plurality of legs 100 extend from the bottom 64 of the wire harnessgrid tile 60. The legs 100 enable the wire harness grid tile 60 to bepositioned on a table or board to receive wiring harness fixtures andaccessories.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate examples of the keyed locking mounts 110installed on the wire harness grid tile 60. FIG. 3 illustrates anexample of a fixture mounting block or mounting platform 150 installedon one of the keyed locking mounts 110. The fixture mounting block 150includes a standard hole pattern to attach various wire harness fixturesand accessories. Each keyed locking mount 110 is a cylindrical mount 112with an upper portion 114, a base 115, and a lower portion 116. Asillustrated in FIG. 2A, the upper portion 114 includes an opening 118for receiving a fixture accessory, such as a nail 160 (see FIG. 1). Asillustrated in FIG. 2B, the upper portion 114 includes an opening 118with splines 120. The splines 120 in the keyed locking mount 110 matchthe splines 152 extending from the fixture mounting block 150illustrated in FIG. 3. The splines 120, 152 allow incremental angularpositioning of the mounting block 150 with respect to the keyed lockingmount 110.

The upper portion 114 of the keyed locking mounts 110 also include wings124. The wings 124 assist the user in rotating the keyed locking mount110 to a locked position.

The lower portion 116 of the keyed locking mounts 110 include sideprojections 126 that are positioned 180 degrees from each other. Theside projections 126 include a rectangular bottom portion 128 tofacilitate insertion into the keyed holes 70 of the wire harness gridtile 60. The side projections 126 also include a top portion 130 withangled walls 132 that lead to a tip 134 forming an inverted V-shape. Thelower portion 116 also includes a pointed end 138 or tip to facilitateinstallation in the wire harness grid tile 60. If the wire harness gridtile 60 is covered with paper showing the wire harness layout, thepointed end 138 enables the keyed locking mount 110 to push thru thepaper to position the keyed locking mount 110 in place on the wireharness grid tile 60.

FIGS. 4-7B illustrate the keyed locking mount 110 being installed andsecured on a wire harness grid tile 60. As illustrated in FIG. 4, acompressible washer 140 is installed under the keyed locking mount 110.The compressible washer 140 enables the keyed locking mount 110 to beturned and locked while still being firmly held on the wire harness gridtile 60. The compressible washer 140 includes a plastic laminate toreduce friction between the washer 140 and the grid tile 60. The keyedlocking mount 110 is positioned such that the side projections 126 arealigned with the side rectangular openings 74 in the keyed holes 70 inthe wire harness tile 60. As illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the keyedlocking mount 110 is installed in the wire harness grid tile 60 with thelower portion 116 extending through one of the circular holes 72 and theside projections 126 extending through the side rectangular openings 74.Also, the key locking mount 110 compresses the washer 140 as the keyedlocking mount 110 is rotated in the wire harness grid tile 60.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6B and 7A-7B, once the keyed locking mount110 is inserted into the wire harness grid tile 60, the user rotates thekeyed locking mount 110 ninety degrees from an installation position toa locked position. The keyed locking mount 110 compress the washer 140as it is rotated. As illustrated in FIG. 7A, once the keyed lockingmount 110 is locked in a groove 80 and released by the user, the washer140 expands.

FIGS. 6B and 7B illustrate the locking feature for the keyed lockingmounts 110 on the wire harness grid tiles 60. As discussed above, thebottom 64 of each wire harness grid tile 60 includes ramps 82 adjacentthe V-shaped grooves 80. The side projections 126 extending from thelower portions 116 of the keyed locking mounts 110 travel along theramps 82 as the keyed locking mount 110 is rotated ninety degrees froman installation position to a locked position. As illustrated in FIG.7B, the inverted V-shaped top portion 130 of each side projection 126 ispositioned in one of the V-shaped grooves 80 in the bottom 64 of thegrid tile 60 to secure the keyed locking mount 110 to the wire harnessgrid tile 60.

As illustrated in FIGS. 8-9, once the keyed locking mounts 110 aresecured to the wire harness grid tile 60, mounting blocks 150, nails160, or other accessories may be installed in the keyed locking mounts110.

Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the wire harness grid tile 60may be covered with a laminated harness layout sheet 180. If laminatedharness layout sheets 180 are used, a tool 182 with a cutter blade 184is used to make the holes for the keyed locking mounts 110. Thelaminated side of the washer 140 reduces friction between the washer 140and the layout sheet 180 to prevent the sheet from tearing duringinstallation.

FIGS. 11-38 illustrate a wire harness assembly system 250 including awire harness grid tile 260 and keyed locking mounts or mounting pegs 310with a nail holder assembly and mounting block secured thereto. The wireharness grid tile 260 is similar to the wire harness grid tile 60,discussed above. The wire harness grid tile 260 includes a top 262,bottom 264, sides 266, and holes 268. The sides 266 of grid tile 260include tongues 290 and grooves 292 for enabling grid tiles 260 tointerlock to generate an array of grid tiles.

Each grid tile 260 also includes a plurality of keyed holes 270 forreceiving the keyed locking mounts 310. Similar to the grid tile 60described above, the keyed holes 270 in the grid tile 260 have a centercircular portion 272 and two side rectangular portions 274. The bottom264 of the grid tile 260 includes a plurality of V-shaped grooves 280and a plurality of ramps 282 (see FIGS. 29-30) to secure the keyedlocking mounts 310. The grid tile 260 includes a plurality of legs 300extending from the bottom 264 of the grid tile 260.

As described above, the rounded hole pattern maybe covered with paper ora laminated sheet. The paper or laminated sheet may include markingsillustrating a desired wire harness assembly layout.

FIGS. 12-15 illustrate a keyed locking mount 310 and fixture mountingblock or mounting platform 400 that is installed in the wire harnessgrid tile 260 illustrated in FIG. 11. The fixture mounting block 400 isrectangular with a top 402 and bottom 406. The top 402 has a pluralityof holes 404 and slots 405 arranged in a pattern for receiving variouswire harness fixtures and accessories. A latching collar 408 and amounting barrel 410 extend from the center of the bottom 406 of thefixture mounting block 400. The mounting barrel 410 includes a pluralityof external splines 412 extending outwardly from the mounting barrel410. Each external spline 412 is positioned equidistance from anadjacent external spline 412.

The keyed locking mount 310 is similar to the keyed locking mounts 110described above. The keyed locking mount 310 includes a cylindrical mainbody 312 with an upper portion 314, a base flange 320, and a lowerportion 326. The upper portion 314 includes a round well 316 with aplurality of internal splines 318 positioned therein. The internalsplines 318 are positioned equidistant from each other. The mountingbarrel 410 of the mounting block 400 is inserted in the round well 316.The internal splines 318 of the round well 316 accommodate the externalsplines 412 extending from the mounting barrel 410. The internal andexternal splines 318, 412, respectively, allow incremental angularpositioning of the fixture mounting block 400 with respect to the keyedlocking mount 310.

Snap-in latches 322 extend upwardly from the base flange 320 above theround well 316. The distal end of each snap-in latch 322 includes a hook324 for engaging the latching collar 408 of the mounting block 400.

The lower portion 326 of the keyed locking mount 310 includes a locatingshaft 328 that extends from the base flange 320. The lower portion 326includes keying features 330 positioned on opposite sides of thelocating shaft 328. The keying features 330 include a rectangular sideprojection 332 with an angled top portion 334. The lower portion 326also includes a tip 336 with a pointed end 338. Once installed in thewire harness grid tile 260, the key locking mount 310 remains fixeduntil it is removed by the user.

FIGS. 16-19 illustrate alternative embodiments of the mounting block ormounting platform and the keyed locking mount or mounting pegs. In FIGS.16 and 17, the mounting block is a tri-slot mounting block 430 withthree parallel mounting slots 432. The mounting block 430 also includesa plurality of reinforcing ribs 436 between the walls 434 of adjacentmounting slots 432. The arrangement of the ribs 436 results in a patternsimilar to that of rectangular pockets. However, the rectangular pocketsdo not serve as mounting features. The mounting slots 432 mayaccommodate smaller fixtures placed entirely on a single mount, orlarger fixtures placed on two or more mounts spaced accordingly on awire harness grid tile. Although the mounting block 430 is illustratedwith three parallel mounting slots 432, the mounting block 430 may havea single slot or any number of parallel mounting slots, as desired. Asdescribed above with respect to the mounting block 400, the mountingblock 430 also includes a bottom 438 with a latching collar 440 toreceive the snap-in latches 322 a of the keyed locking mount 310 a and amounting barrel 442 with external splines 444 to be inserted in the well316 a of a keyed locking mount 310 a.

The keyed locking mount 310 a is similar to the keyed locking mount 310.The keyed locking mount 310 a includes a cylindrical main body 312 awith an upper portion 314 a, a base flange 320 a, and a lower portion326 a. The upper portion 314 a includes a round well 316 a with aplurality of internal splines 318 a positioned therein. The internalsplines 318 a are positioned equidistant from each other. Snap-inlatches 322 a extend upwardly from the base flange 320 a above the roundwell 316 a. The distal end of each snap-in latch 322 a includes a hook324 a. The lower portion 326 a of the keyed locking mount 310 a includesa locating shaft 328 a that extends from the base flange 320 a. Thelower portion 326 a includes keying features 330 a positioned onopposite sides of the locating shaft 328 a. The keying features 330 ainclude a rectangular side projection 332 a with an angled top portion334 a. The lower portion 326 a also includes a tip 336 a with a pointedend 338 a.

The keyed locking mount 310 a includes the additional feature ofoutwardly extending wings 340. The wings 340 extend from the upperportion 314 a to assist the user in rotating the locking mount 310 to alocked position. Although the mounting block 430 is illustrated with akeyed locking mount 310 a with wings 340, it could also be used with thekeyed locking mount 310 without wings or the alternative keyed lockingmount 310 b with a flexible flange 350 (see FIGS. 18 and 19).

An alternative keyed locking mount 310 b is illustrated in FIGS. 18 and19. The keyed locking mount 310 b is similar to the keyed locking mounts310, 310 a. The keyed locking mount 310 b includes a cylindrical mainbody 312 b with an upper portion 314 b, a base flange 320 b, and a lowerportion 326 b. The upper portion 314 b includes a round well 316 b witha plurality of internal splines 318 b positioned therein. The internalsplines 318 b are positioned equidistant from each other. Snap-inlatches 322 b extend upwardly from the base flange 320 b above the roundwell 316 b. The distal end of each snap-in latch 322 b includes a hook324 b. The lower portion 326 b of the keyed locking mount 310 b includesa locating shaft 328 b that extends from the base flange 320 b. Thelower portion 326 b includes keying features 330 b positioned onopposite sides of the locating shaft 328 b. The keying features 330 binclude a rectangular side projection 332 b with an angled top portion334 b. The lower portion 326 b also includes a tip 336 b with a pointedend 338 b.

The alternative keyed locking mount 310 b also includes a flexibleflange 350 that extends outwardly from the lower portion 326 b. Asdescribed below with respect to FIGS. 31-34, the flexible flange 350compresses to enable the keyed locking mount 310 b and attached mount tobe installed in a wire harness grid tile 260.

The mounting block is a compact fixture mount 450 designed toaccommodate a variety of small fixtures. The compact fixture mount 450includes a main body 452 having a top rectangular pad 454 with a pair ofmounting holes 456, a latching collar 458 and a mounting barrel 460 withexternal splines 462. The snap-in latches 322 b of the keyed lockingmount 310 b engage the latching collar 458 and the mounting barrel 460with external splines 462 is positioned within the round well 316 b tosecure the compact fixture mount 450 to the keyed locking mount 310 b.Depending on the intended mounting arrangement, a user might choose thecompact fixture mount 450 which provides the benefit of closer fixturespacing on the wire harness tile.

Although the compact fixture mount 450 is illustrated with the keyedlocking mount 310 b having a flexible flange 350, it could also be usedwith the keyed locking mount 310 or the keyed locking mount 310 a withwings 340.

FIGS. 20-27 illustrate the keyed locking mount 310, a single nail holderassembly 500, and a five nail holder assembly 550. Each of the nailholder assemblies 500, 550 is designed to be installed in one of thekeyed locking mounts 310, 310 a, 310 b illustrated and discussed abovewith respect to FIGS. 12-19. The single nail holder assembly 500includes a nail holder 502 or pin locator and a nail retainer 520 orsecuring cap. The nail retainer 520 includes a main body 522 with acenter opening 524 and two snap-in latches 526 extending downwardly atthe side of the main body 522. The nail holder 502 includes a main body504, a latching collar 510, and a mounting barrel 512 with externalsplines 514. The main body 504 has a hole 506 accommodating the mountingshank of fixture nail 160 and a snap-in ring 508. The fixture nail 160is installed through the center opening 524 in the nail retainer 520.The snap-in latches 526 of the nail retainer 520 engage the snap-in ring508 to secure the nail retainer 520 to the nail holder 502. The mountingbarrel 512 of the nail holder 502 is installed in the round well 316 ofthe keyed locking mount 310 and the snap-in latches 322 of the keyedlocking mount 310 engage the latching collar 510 of the nail holder 502.

The five nail holder assembly 550 includes a nail holder 552 or pinlocator and a nail retainer 570 or securing cap for holding the nails orpins. The nail holder 552 includes a main body 554, a latching collar560 and a mounting barrel 562 with external splines 564. The main body554 includes five holes 556 for accommodate the mounting shank of nails160 and snap-in pockets 558. The nail retainer 570 includes a main body572 with five holes 574 and downwardly extending snap-in latches 576. Asillustrated in FIGS. 24 and 26, the snap-in latches engage the snap-inpockets 558 of the nail holder main body 554. Although four snap-inlatching mechanisms are illustrated, it is contemplated that the nailholders may only include two snap-in latching mechanisms. Additionally,the illustrated embodiment accommodates five nails where one nail ispositioned at the center of the nail holder 552. The nail holder 552 canaccommodate a combination of nails in any quantity up to five nails. Assuch, some of the nails in the fixture may be removed, when desired, tohave wider spacing between the nails.

As illustrated in FIG. 28, the keyed locking mount 310 with attachedfixture mount block 400 is positioned to be installed and secured on awire harness grid tile 260. As described above with respect to FIG. 4, acompressible washer 420 is installed under base flange 320 of the keyedlocking mount 310. The compressible washer 420 enables the keyed lockingmount 310 to be turned and locked while still being firmly held on thewire harness tile 260. The keyed locking mount 310 is positioned suchthat the projections 332 are aligned with the side rectangular portions274 in the keyed holes 270 in the wire harness grid tile 260. Thecompressible washer 420 includes a plastic laminate to reduce frictionbetween the washer 420, the grid tile 260, and the harness layout sheet,if present. The plastic laminate of the washer 420 prevents the layoutsheet from tearing when the washer is installed. The keyed locking mount310 is installed in the wire harness grid tile 260 with the lowerportion 326 extending through one of the circular holes 272 and therectangular side projections 332 extending through the side rectangularportions 274. As described above, once the keyed locking mount 310 isinserted into the wire harness grid tile 260, the user rotates the keyedlocking mount 310 ninety degrees from an installation position to alocked position (see FIGS. 29 and 30). The keyed locking mount 310compresses the washer 420 as it is rotated in the wire harness grid tile260. Once the keyed locking mount 310 is locked in a groove 280 andreleased by the user, the washer 420 expands. FIGS. 29 and 30 illustratethe bottom of the wire harness grid tile 260 with the installed keyedlocking mount 310. The rectangular side projection 332 of the lowerportion 326 is positioned in the V-shaped groove 280 adjacent ramps 282of the wire harness grid tile 260.

FIGS. 31-34 illustrate the installation of an alternative keyed lockingmount 310 c in the wire harness grid tile 260. The keyed locking mount310 c is a combination of the keyed locking mounts 310 a and 310 billustrated and described in FIGS. 16-19. The keyed locking mount 310 cincludes wings 340 and the flexible flange 350. The keyed locking mount310 c is positioned such that the rectangular side projections 332 cextending from the lower portion 326 c are aligned with the siderectangular portions 274 in the keyed holes 270 in the wire harness gridtile 260. The keyed locking mount 310 c is installed in the wire harnessgrid tile 260 with the lower portion 326 c extending through one of thecircular holes 272 and the rectangular side projections 332 c extendingthrough the side rectangular portions 274. Once the keyed locking mount310 c is inserted into the wire harness grid tile 260, the user rotatesthe keyed locking mount 310 c ninety degrees from an installationposition to a locked position. As the keyed locking mount 310 c isinserted and rotated, the flexible flange 350 compresses and flattens.Once the keyed locking mount 310 c is released by the user, the flexibleflange 350 returns to its original position.

FIGS. 35-41 illustrate joiner plates or grid tile connectors designed tojoin adjacent wire harness grid tiles to form the wire harness assembly.The joiner plates or grid tile connectors enable the grid tiles to beassembled without a plywood backing and ensure accurate alignment of thewire harness assembly.

FIGS. 35-37 illustrate joiner plate or grid tile connector 600. The gridtile connector 600 includes elevated wall segments 602, a flat bottom604, locating wells 606, corner posts 608, and reinforcing ribs 614. Thecorner posts 608 include counter bored holes 610 with threaded inserts612 (see FIG. 37). The outer perimeter walls are elevated to reach thebottom 264 of the grid tile 260 for additional support. The legs 300pass through the locating wells 606 and rest on the surface of which thewire harness grid tile 260 is set. The fit between the inner surfaces ofthe locating wells 606 and the outer surfaces of the legs 300 isrelatively close thereby resulting in an improved rigidity for the wireharness tile assembly. The counter bored holes 610 with the threadedinserts 612 are aligned with the holes 268 in the harness board gridtile 260.

As illustrated in FIG. 38, an alternative embodiment of a joiner plateor grid tile connector 620 includes a flat bottom 622, corner posts 626and reinforcing ribs 634. The flat bottom 622 has holes that accommodatethe legs 300 of the wire harness grid tiles 260. The corner posts 626have counter bored holes 630 with threaded inserts. The threaded insertsare pressed into the counter bore holes 630 from the underside so thatthey cannot be pulled out by fasteners 170 if they are overtightened.

FIGS. 39-41 illustrate joiner plate or grid tile connector 700. The gridtile connector 700 includes a flat bottom 704, locating wells 706,corner posts 708, and reinforcing ribs 714. The corner posts 708 includecounter bored holes 710 with threaded inserts 712 (see FIG. 41). Thelegs 300 pass through the locating wells 706 and rest on the surface ofwhich the wire harness grid tile 260 is set. The fit between the innersurfaces of the locating wells 706 and the outer surfaces of the legs300 is relatively close thereby resulting in an improved rigidity forthe wire harness tile assembly. The counter bored holes 710 with thethreaded inserts 712 are aligned with the holes 268 in the harness boardgrid tile 260.

Fasteners 170 are used to secure wire harness grid tiles 60, 260 to thegrid tile connectors 600, 620, and 700. As many wire harness grid tiles60, 260 may be used to form large wire harness assemblies of any sizehaving dimensions equal to multiples of the individual wire harness gridtiles 60, 260. The grid tile connectors 600, 620, and 700 are used tofasten adjacent wire harness grid tiles together to ensure accuratealignment of the wire harness assembly system.

The wire harness assembly system described and illustrated herein isflexible and inexpensive. The wire harness grid tiles and the keylocking mounts are easily assembled to form the wire harness assemblysystem required by the end user. The keyed locking mounts and variousmounting fixtures are interchangeable and easily adjusted by the user,as desired. The keyed locking mounts and various mounting fixtures aremade of a plastic material with the exception of the nails which may bemade of steel or a plastic material.

Furthermore, while the particular preferred embodiments of the presentinvention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the teaching of the invention. The matter set forth inthe foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way ofillustration only and not as limitation. The actual scope of theinvention is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewedin their proper perspective based on the prior art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A grid tile for receiving at least onerepositionable accessory, the grid tile comprising: a top, a bottom,sides, and a plurality of keyed holes, the plurality of keyed holesextending from the top, through the grid tile, to the bottom of the gridtile for receiving the at least one repositionable accessory; whereinthe keyed holes have a center circular portion and two side rectangularportions extending from the center circular portion; and wherein thegrid tile has a locking surface on the bottom of the grid tile, whereinthe locking surface complements the plurality of keyed holes formaintaining the at least one repositionable accessory in a lockedposition, wherein the locking surface has a plurality of ramps and aplurality of grooves.
 2. The grid tile of claim 1, wherein each grooveis V-shaped formed by adjacent ramps.
 3. The grid tile of claim 1,wherein the grooves are offset 90 degrees from the side rectangularportions of the keyed holes.
 4. The grid tile of claim 1, wherein aplurality of legs extend from the bottom of the at least one grid tilefor supporting the at least one grid tile on a surface.
 5. The grid tileof claim 1, wherein the sides have interlocking features for joiningadjacent grid tiles.
 6. The grid tile of claim 5, wherein theinterlocking features include tongues and grooves that interlock to forman array of grid tiles.
 7. The grid tile of claim 1, wherein the atleast one grid tile has holes for receiving fasteners to secure the atleast one grid tile to a surface.
 8. The grid tile of claim 1, furthercomprising a sheet positioned over the top of the grid tile forillustrating a desired accessory layout.